Within the semiconductor industry, there exists the need to improve yield, throughput, and the ever present quest to maintain pace with Moore's Law. The ideal way of accomplishing a process characterization is to provide a mechanism for real-time data collection of vital process parameters—explicitly the mechanical and electrical forces seen by the substrate.
FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a conventional linear wet chemical cleaning system 100.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, cleaning system 100 includes a holding tray 102, a carrier tray 104, a powered rail 112, attachment devices 110, 114, 126 and 130, a non-powered rail 128 and a cleaning portion 118. Cleaning portion 118 includes a plurality of process shower heads 120.
In operation, a wafer 108 may be disposed on carrier tray 104. Attachment devices 110 and 114 and attachment devices 126 and 130 attached to carrier tray 104 enable carrier tray 104 to glide along a path D between powered rail 112 and non-powered rail 128, respectively. As carrier tray 104 carrying wafer 108 passes underneath cleaning portion 118, process shower heads 120 apply cleaning solutions to the surface of wafer 108. Process shower heads 120 then remove the cleaning solution via vacuum. In this manner, any particulates on the surface of wafer 108 are removed.
In a wet cleaning process, cleaning solutions are applied to the surface of wafer 108 in conjunction with de-ionized water delivery & mixed liquid-gas return lines. Goals during such a process include maintaining a balanced force on the surface of wafer 108 resulting from the application of liquid and gas flows and optimizing the efficiency of the wet clean process. Controlling forces applied to wafer 108 during a wet clean process may increase uniformity and residual removal rates across the entire wafer surface.
What is needed is a system and method for controlling forces applied to a wafer during a wet clean process in order to increase uniformity and residue removal rates across the entire wafer surface.